A unified approach to bandwidth allocation and access control in fast packet-switched networks

The authors present an approach to computing access control parameters as a function of both source characteristics and bandwidth allocation in the network. The technique relies on a fluid-flow model for the source, the leaky bucket rate control system, and the bandwidth allocation process. The methodology is suitable for any high-speed packet switching architecture. The approach allows for the real-time setting of the access control at a connection setup. It ensures that the access control mechanism is near transparent as long as connections behave as expected, while protecting the network from most misbehaving connections. Although some extreme cases have the potential to affect the network, they are essentially due to limitations inherent in the leaky bucket itself. © 1992 IEEE.